President Joe Biden had the chutzpah Tuesday to claim former President Donald Trump and his “MAGA” GOP supporters in Congress should bear the blame if the border crisis, created by the current administration, continues.
Biden pointed to Trump’s opposition to a proposed $118 billion national security bill that includes, according to The Washington Post, $60 billion in funding for Ukraine and $14 billion for Israel, $20 billion in the U.S. border funds among other priorities.
In a speech from the White House Tuesday, Biden said that all indications are the bill will not move forward in the Senate because Republicans oppose it in its present form.
“Why? A simple reason: Donald Trump,” Biden asserted. “Because Donald Trump thinks it’s bad for him politically. Therefore, he doesn’t — even though it would help the — the country, he’s not for it. He’d rather weaponize this issue than actually solve it.
“I’m calling on Congress to pass this bill and get it to my desk immediately,” the president added. “But if the bill fails, I want to be absolutely clear about something: The American people are going to know why it failed.”
“Every day between now and November, the American people are going to know that the only reason the border is not secure is Donald Trump and his MAGA Republican friends,” Biden said.
Well, that just doesn’t square with reality.
Biden: “The only reason the border is not secure is Donald Trump.”
Illegal border encounters:
2023: 2,476,000
2022: 2,379,000
2021: 1,735,000
2020: 400,000— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) February 6, 2024
During the last full fiscal year that Trump was in office, which ended Sept. 30, 2020, there were approximately 400,000 individuals apprehended at the southwest border.
In the previous fiscal year — the worst year of the Trump presidency for illegal entries — there were 852,000 apprehended. While in fiscal year 2018, there were 397,000.
And in fiscal year 2017, which included the closing three months of Barack Obama’s presidency, there were 304,000 encounters.
So the baseline in most years before Biden took office was hovering at around 300,000 to 400,000 illegal entries.
Since Biden took office, there were approximately 1.7 million encounters in FY 2021, 2.4 million in FY 2022, and 2.5 million in FY 2023, according to Customs and Border Patrol statistics.
Why such a drastic change from the Trump to Biden?
A change in policy.
House Speaker Mike Johnson released a list last month of 64 actions taken by Biden and his administration that have undermined border security.
The list includes Biden directing border wall construction to end on his first day on the job and submitting legislation calling for a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants.
BREAKING: Speaker Mike Johnson releases a document of 64 instances of the Biden Administration undermining border security policy and encouraging illegal immigration. pic.twitter.com/g4WLALMhpi
— Leading Report (@LeadingReport) February 1, 2024
Johnson also noted that Biden lifted “limitations and restrictions against immigration from certain countries associated with terrorism” that Trump had in place.
Additionally, the president rescinded Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy for asylum seekers and placed a 100-day moratorium on deportations.
.@SpeakerJohnson: “The situation at our border presents a clear and present danger to our national security.” pic.twitter.com/UJr7AHDEJV
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) January 31, 2024
Further, the Biden administration suspended asylum cooperation agreements meant to stem the flow of migrants from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
Biden also greatly reduced the number eligible for deportation and expanded the parole of illegal immigrants making asylum claims in the U.S. at unprecedented levels.
And that’s just to name some of the 64 actions Biden has taken to weaken border security.
Last week, a reporter asked Biden, “Have you done everything you can do with executive authority [to address the border crisis]?”
The president responded, “I’ve done all I can do. Just give me the power I asked for the very day I got in office. Give me the Border Patrol. Give me the people that judge [asylum claims]. Give me the people who can stop this and make it work rationally.”
A former member of a drug cartel says Biden’s border policies are aiding and abetting the drug cartels.
“The drugs, the people…the cartels are coming in, I mean, they’re just taking advantage of every situation of these border crossings.” pic.twitter.com/PQLimKdFj7
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) January 31, 2024
That is just patently false.
The reality is, Biden has not done everything he can to close the border; he’s done everything he can to open it.
It seems doubtful, even if the border bill passed, he would do much different, since he is not following immigration law now.
Does Biden want to mislead Americans?
Trump posted on Truth Social Monday, “The ridiculous ‘Border’ Bill is nothing more than a highly sophisticated trap for Republicans to assume the blame on what the Radical Left Democrats have done to our Border, just in time for our most important EVER Election. Don’t fall for it!!!”
He’s right. Biden is just looking for political cover to protect him from his very unpopular border policy choices.
ABC News reported that the president’s average approval rating in handling the border and immigration across seven polls conducted in January is just 29 percent, with 63 percent disapproving.
Trump’s not the reason the border is open, Biden is.
And he should get the blame for it.
